Telemedicine: The COVID19 Game Changer

August 13 2020: Healthcare sector around the world has been in immense pressure since the COVID19 arrived. Every country faced the over burdening and on their healthcare and some almost collapsed. Meanwhile, telemedicine experienced a massive surge and adoption in the last few months. Specifically during the COVID19 pandemic. With millions of people that were forced to stay at home, shifting to online consultation has become the ‘new normal’ method of using health facilities.
Telemedicine is not a new technology or facility. The issue is that people never acknowledged it and had always been reluctant to use it. Reasons mostly were security concerns, privacy issues and also, lack of availability or access to this facility.
People not using it was an issue but it still kept evolving significantly. Various platforms that offered telemedicine services continuously worked on improving their security and providing higher quality, connectivity and audio that made the Online consultations comparable and bearable to an in-person consultation.
Furthermore this technology had enabled to bring the patients and healthcare professionals closer in a simpler and easier way and also, ensured a more accurate diagnosis. Similarly Marhampk is one of the first companies in Pakistan to develop a telemedicine service that the patients could use at home during the strict lockdown times. Through this, a doctor can easily guide their patients about their health, possible conditions and to easily gather real-time data to establish a better diagnosis.
Not only the patients, telemedicine services also enabled the healthcare professionals to be able to follow up on their patients despite strict lockdown everywhere. In this time of COVID19 lockdown, telemedicine has taken a clear shift in moving the healthcare facilities from the doctor’s clinic right to the patient’s home. Telemedicine, especially the video consultation service has successfully changed the dimensions and preferences in the patient and the doctor’s relationship. In this way, telemedicine not only allows you to visit the doctor but also, the doctor comes to your place too.
Telemedicine services such as online audio and video consultations not only saves you your traveling cost but also improves your privacy. For females, talking to a gynecologist in the privacy of their home was never too easy. Similarly, for men, they can talk to their urologist in their chosen environment. Telemedicine is also very valuable to enhance care where it cannot always physically get.

Pakistan’s first telemedicine service Marhampk not only offers you to talk to a doctor through video/audio calls but also, it allows you to find the best doctors in your area. Be it the top urologists in Lahore or a psychiatrist around you, you can easily look it up from the mobile app of this healthcare startup.
It is predicted that telemedicine has tremendous potential. Telemedicine not only brings healthcare closer, but also improves our lives in so many ways that we ourselves can not identify. Undoubtedly, the COVID19 pandemic over the last few months has helped to make telemedicine the integral part of the healthcare systems and also our daily lives. Like all other changes, telemedicine also requires some flexibility, creativity and ability to see exactly what healthcare in Pakistan can offer it and what future it will have.
It is the right time to support the healthcare startups that have successfully provided us with so many opportunities in this COVID19 pandemic and helped keep ourselves safe. In this time, what would have helped us if it wasn’t online consultation services?. There much more to it, as the time is passing, we’ll be seeing more improvemets in this.
Meanwhile, sit back, stay home and stay safe! COVID19 is not over yet.